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Man U leapfrog Man City into third place in PL table post 3-1 win over Aston Villa

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ANI Johannesburg
Last Updated : Apr 05 2015 | 12:42 PM IST

Manchester United leapfrogged Manchester City into third place in the Premier League table following their 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, thanks to Ander Herrera and Wayne Rooney's strikes.

Christian Benteke's 80th-minute goal for Villa, a weak shot that crept beneath David de Gea, set up an uncomfortable finale for United, but Herrera completed his brace in added time to seal a fifth straight win for Louis van Gaal's side.

The result lifted United above City, who visit Crystal Palace on Monday, and with Rooney netting in memorable fashion, the club seems increasingly likely to claim a place in next season's Champions League, Sport24 reported.

United felt that they should have been handed an early opportunity to take control of the contest when they had a strong penalty appeal waved away after only four minutes. As Rooney looked to latch onto Marouane Fellaini's flick, he appeared to be held back by Ciaran Clark, but the referee waved play on.

The decision left the England captain infuriated and his mood almost darkened a minute later when De Gea failed to deal with Benteke's header and Gabriel Agbonlahor saw a goal-bound follow-up blocked.

Villa remained a counter-attacking threat, via the pace of front pair Benteke and Agbonlahor, but United dominated the game in terms of possession and even defender Marcos Rojo threatened, with a 30-yard shot that Brad Guzan tipped acrobatically over his crossbar.

Two minutes before the break, a rare lapse in defensive concentration from Villa's back four allowed Young to free Daley Blind on the left and his pull-back found the unmarked Herrera 15 yards from goal and he put the ball into the bottom-right corner with his left foot.

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Realizing the need for a second goal after half time, Rooney maintained the pressure, sprinting into the area and firing narrowly wide of the left-hand post, before Fellaini shot the wrong side of the same upright with an improvised back-heel.

Moments after a Villa set-piece ended with Benteke heading just wide, Rooney claimed United's second.

With Benteke's shot slipping beneath De Gea, which only allowed the two-goal cushion to last barely a minute, it was Herrera who assured the finish from Mata's pass which settled the home fans' nerves, the report added.

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First Published: Apr 05 2015 | 12:31 PM IST

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